


Shadowed, Sorry, Wooden Hearts

by Kiraly



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Poetry, Sestina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 02:24:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12973662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiraly/pseuds/Kiraly
Summary: A tale of longing steeped in bitter shadowA sestina to soothe a grieving heart.





	Shadowed, Sorry, Wooden Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this week's [Synchronised Screaming](https://synchronisedscreaming.tumblr.com/) challenge on Tumblr. Officially, the prompts this week were for four words to be included in a drabble, but [Minutia-r](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Minutia_R/pseuds/Minutia_R) had the idea of writing a sestina poem so I decided to try my hand at it.
> 
> The prompt was: Onni / or & Reynir - sorry, wood, shadow, heart.
> 
> A [sestina](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/sestina) has six stanzas of six lines each, plus a three-line ending called an "envoy", and a set of six words that must end those lines in a specific order. I used the character names as my additional two words.

 

He came in dreams once more to say “I’m sorry”,  
And offer comfort to a grieving heart.  
But comfort there would never be for Onni,  
Too wrapped in walls of pain and living wood.  
Forgiveness there was none to offer Reynir  
And so he left to walk the sea of shadow.

They walked for days, still followed by the shadow  
A spirit claiming mage-child would be sorry.  
Its words to weigh on saddened, weary Reynir  
Who took each step with further sinking heart,  
And feet of lead or stone or solid wood.  
What worse, foul ghost? He’d already lost Onni.

At last enough became enough for Reynir,  
He’d lost his friend, his hope, and now his Onni.  
It was too much to weigh his shepherd’s heart;  
He’d go, and seek the quiet rest of shadow—  
Then Onni might believe that he was sorry.  
And so he stepped from dream-sea onto wood.

The first thing Onni saw: a ship of wood,  
And secondly its passenger: one Reynir.  
“I came to say one last time that I’m sorry,  
And that—I should have said—I love you, Onni.  
My world without you in it is but shadow,  
But I will go, and grieve no more your heart.”

The words caused such a stir in Onni’s heart,  
That like a torch when touched to seasoned wood,  
It set alight and drove away the shadow  
That kept him hidden, walled away from Reynir.  
Then to his knees with trembling hands fell Onni,  
“Don’t go” he said, “don’t go my love, I’m sorry.”

And so they stepped from shadow, hand in hand and heart in heart,  
And left “I’m sorry” rotting on the wood.  
Awake and dreaming, Reynir with his love, forever, Onni.


End file.
